INDEX
Architect of the Shinichi Fukuoka Pavilion at the Osaka Expo
Takano: Mr. Hashimoto, I heard that you are also in charge of the pavilion for the “Osaka Expo 2025.
Hashimoto: I was honored, but it had not been long since I started my office, so my first honest feeling was that it was more than I could handle, or that I wanted to make it a good job somehow.
Celeina: I’m sorry, what is a pavilion? Hashimoto: A pavilion is a place where people can come and visit and enjoy the art.
Hashimoto: A pavilion is a temporary building that is erected for a limited time. The Osaka Expo will be held for about six months, and it means that they will be erected for that period of time and then torn down soon after.
Takano: One of many?
Hashimoto: Yes, it is.
Takano: As far as you can tell, what kind of pavilion is it ……?
Hashimoto: Expos have theme pavilions, and Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun” was the theme pavilion for the 1970 Expo. This time, eight producers got together to build eight pavilions. I was in charge of the pavilion for Dr. Shinichi Fukuoka, a biologist who has written books such as “Between Life and Inanimate Objects” and “Dynamic Equilibrium.
Celeina: I see. Are you and the team working together to develop the idea?
Hashimoto: Not from now on, but it will be pretty soon. So we have been working together for more than two years now, and we are just before the start of construction.
Takano: The scale of time is amazing, isn’t it?
Celeina: That’s part of the reason why we have been working together for such a long time as you mentioned at the beginning.
Takano: Have you become close with Dr. Fukuoka?
Hashimoto: He has been very good to me.
Takano: If we had a FIST BUMP tomorrow, Mr. Fukuoka might be there (laughs).
Celeina: No, no, you are too greedy (laughs). Now, I asked Mr. Hashimoto to choose a song that we would all like to hear at this time.
Hashimoto: This song is by a female pianist from Ethiopia, and I heard about it from a strange place. I have never been to Ethiopia, but it felt like a nostalgic homeland to me. I listen to the song while thinking that any kind of expression can have something in common that evokes such feelings.
Celeina: Well then, please introduce some of your songs.
Hashimoto: “The Homeless Wanderer” by emahoy tsegue-maryam guebrou.
